Greetings and Welcome to our Winter Issue!

As the chilly days grow longer and we begin to look towards the return of Spring, isn't warming up with a cup of chai the BEST?

In our offices at BLC, we always have available in our kitchen an airpot filled with fresh hot chai. We hope you also have beautiful moments of comfort, and we wish you and your loved ones an abundant and joyful year ahead!

This fall began a period of dynamic growth – with lots of positive changes for us. One of the happiest was the two wonderful additions to our sales and marketing team.

Vince Panero came to us with his long time background in natural foods/education/technology marketing and sales: amazing mind, infectious energy and charm, and deep dedication to the same cultural vision and business model that we hold dear to our hearts at BLC.

Vince took like a duck to water in his position as Director of Sales and Marketing. Currently, in addition to all of his other hats that he wears, Vince is collaborating on our website redesign initiative…we expect to have it in place very soon.

In early fall, Deb Chorney joined the BLC family as our National Demo Coordinator and Sales/Marketing Support Staff. Most of her background has been in counseling, and she brings her warmth, insightful intelligence and creative thinking to the myriad of tasks she encounters every day in her job. Our demo program has grown rapidly across the country, and Deb is working hard to create systems to handle our needs as our chai is brought into more stores all the time. Look for our calendar of demos and other events in our website redesign…coming soon!

One of the lovely aspects of Vince and Deb working for BLC is that they are married! In addition to our owners, Barbara and Stephan Cameron, another happily married couple adds to our company's sense of family and heart connection. Vince and Deb live in Eugene with their 13 year old son Eli, along with a collection of animals and bees, and are beloved members of the community. They have been avid drinkers of Blue Lotus Chai for years. If you happen to call our offices, be sure to send these two some love!

Barbara's Notes from the Road: India

In 2010, I spent several days in Badrinath, an ancient and holy town over 10,000 feet high in the Himalayas. One morning I rose early and wandered down the steep paths of the village, as the open air shops were just beginning to start their day.

I stopped for some chai at one of the little stands…chai is generally made on the spot and served in small earthenware or stainless steel cups. As he prepared my drink, the chai wallah (who spoke no English) exuded the sweetness that I found to be so universal in India. I asked him if I could take his picture, and he was thrilled and motioned to me "just a moment". He reached down, found a pair of eyeglasses, and popped them on…now he looked especially fine for his photo!

A brief history of Indian Chai

Tea plants have grown wild in the Assam region since antiquity, but historically Indians viewed tea as an herbal medicine rather than as a recreational beverage. Some of the chai masala spice mixtures, or Karha, that are still in current use are derived from Ayurvedic medical texts.

In the 1830s, the British East India Company became concerned about the Chinese monopoly on tea, which constituted most of its trade and supported the enormous consumption of tea in Great Britain: approximately one pound (by weight) per person per year. British colonists had recently noticed the existence of the Assamese tea plants, and began to cultivate tea plantations locally. In 1870, over 90% of the tea consumed in Great Britain was still of Chinese origin, but by 1900 this had dropped to 10%, largely replaced by tea grown in British India (50%) and British Ceylon (33%).

However, consumption of black teawithin India remained low until the promotional campaign by the (British-owned) Indian Tea Association in the early 20th century, which encouraged factories, mines, and textile mills to provide tea breaks for their workers. It also supported many independent chai wallahs throughout the growing railway system.

The official promotion of tea was as served in the English mode, with small added amounts of milk and sugar. The Indian Tea Association initially disapproved of independent vendors' tendency to add spices and greatly increase the proportions of milk and sugar, thus reducing their usage (and thus purchase) of tea leaves per liquid volume. However, masala chai in its present form has now firmly established itself as a popular beverage, not just outlasting the British Raj but spreading beyond India to the rest of the world.

From Wikipedia

We Get Love Letters…

Ginger Root

Ginger is the most widely used and available herbal remedy on the planet, with billions of people using it every day as both food and medicine. Long the subject of literature and fable, it is used either fresh or dried in nearly two thirds of all traditional Chinese and Japanese herbal formulas. In Chinese medicine, ginger is said to warm the energy channels and stop bleeding, especially uterine bleeding. It is a detoxifier, and is very effective when invading cold or infection has reached the interior of the body. Scientists have found evidence to support ginger's wide range of medicinal actions. These include the lowering of cholesterol levels, relief for allergies and asthma, arthritis, colds and nausea (including motion sickness): and protecting the digestive tract and liver against toxins and parasites. It can protect the lining of the stomach from alcohol damage, which aggravates existing ulcers, and promotes the development of new ones. In small doses ginger is especially useful in pregnancy, and is an age-old remedy for morning sickness.

Disclaimer: The contents above are intended for educational and informational purposes only. The information herein found should NOT be used as a substitute for seeking the attention of qualified medical practitioners in diagnosing, treating, curing or preventing ailments and diseases.

And the winner is…

We announced a couple months back that we would be giving away a 1 year supply of chai to one lucky email subscriber. Today, we’re happy to announce the winner: Julie Colton.
If you have friends who should know about our chai, please forward this email to them so they can sign up for our newsletter. As we have future giveaways, they'll have a chance to win great Blue Lotus Chai t-shirts, mugs, our wonderful Masala Chai, and more! Enjoy the chai, Julie!